Robert Rankin

Armageddon the Musical

Very much ‘in the style of’ Pratchett and Adams (as vaunted
loudly on the cover). The plot moves in the same seemingly anarchic way, with
some vaguely deeper structure, and characters talk like kings or gods or heroes
are expected to, but with the same sort of casual style Pratchett gives, for
example, Death. However, it’s just not as good. Particularly the lack of charm
in any of the characters - I don’t like anybody. It’s a bit more condescending,
definitely more seedy - in the ‘Teen bonking camp 2’ style. But perhaps the
most telling thing in a deliberately comic novel is that I don’t think it made
me laugh out loud once. I mean he’s competent enough, I finished the book, and
as it goes by you think, “Yeah, this is comedy a bit like Pratchett,” but it
never came close to getting me in.